Expansible shoe



R. N. RIGSBY EXPANSIBLE SHOE April 3, 1962 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Feb. 27, 1961 INVENTOR. ROWENA N. P/GSBV BY W WI.

R. N. RIGSBY EXPANSIBLE SHOE April 3, 1962 2 SheetsSheet 2 Filed Feb. 27, 1961 JNVENTOR.

ROWENA N. R/GSBV A 7 TOR/VEV States This invention relates to footwear, and more particularly concerns an improved baby shoe that is adapted to be enlarged to compensate for the growth of an infants foot.

This application is a continuation-impart of my pending application Serial No. 792,082, filed February 9, 1959, now Patent No. 2,973,589 granted on March 7, 1961.

Since an infants feet grow rather rapidly during the first few years of his life, shoes that are properly fitted at the time of purchase are soon outgrown. Accordingly, in order that the babys feet are always enclosed in well fitting, comfortable shoes, it is necessary to purchase new shoes at frequent intervals. An object of the present invention is the provision of a shoe that may be enlarged to compensate for the increase in size of a babys foot so that the same shoe may be Worn by the baby over a protracted period of time.

Another object is to provide an improved device for holding a shoe on the wearers foot.

A further object is to provide an infants shoe that has provision at both its front and rear portions which will permit enlargement of these portions to accommodate growth of the infants foot.

A further object is to provide a new sandal that is simple in design and economical to manufacture.

Other and further objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent to one skilled in the art from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a plan view of a partially fabricated blank from which one embodiment of the shoe of the present invention is made.

I atnt FIGURE 2 is a perspective of the shoe made from the blank of FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 3 is a side elevation of the shoe of KG. 2, with an adjusted position of the sole and heel being shown in phantom lines, and an adjusted position of the body or vamp of the shoe also being shown in phantom lines.

FIGURE 4 is an end elevation of the shoe of FIG. 2, with a portion of the wearers foot being shown.

FIGURE 5 is a perspective of a second embodiment of the shoe of the present invention.

FIGURE 6 is a plan of a partially fabricated blank from which the shoe of FIG. 5 is made.

FIGURE 7 is a perspective of a third embodiment of the shoe of the present invention.

FIGURE 8 is a plan of a partially fabricated blank from which the shoe of FIG. 7 is made.

In FIG. 1 the reference numeral 2 1} indicates a blank made from soft leather, fabric, or a pliable plastic material and having a central portion 23 and two wings 24- and 25. A wear sole 26, which may be made from soft leather or other suitable materials, has substantially the same configuration as the central portion 23, and is secured thereto by stitching 27 along three sides. Along the fourth side, the central portion of the blank projects further than the wear sole and has an arcuate edge 28 spaced from an arcuate edge 29 of the wear sole.

In FIG. 1 the bottom or wear surface of the sole 2.6 is facing upwardly. Also, the finished surfaces of the blank, which form the exterior, upper portions of the shoe, are facing upwardly.

A ridge or welt 32 (FIG. 2) has been formed in each of the wings 24 and 25 by folding the material and securing the folded portion by stitching 33. The wings 24 and 25 are provided with extensions 35 and 36, respecice tively. An eyelet 37 is formed in extension 35 and an eyelet 38 is formed in extension 36. The wear sole 26 and the underlying portion of the blank are relatively wide at their forward end which is connected to a narrow rear portion 39 by a tapering transition section 40. Two pairs 42 and 43 of eyelets 44 are provided in the rear portion 39 of the wear sole, but not in the blank.

To form the shoe of FIG. 2 when the blank and the sole is in the position of FIG. 1, both wings are folded upwardly to a position overlying the wear sole 26 with the marginal areas of the finished surfaces, which originally were facing upwardly, now disposed in face-to-face contact. The wings are secured together by stitching that engages the Wings in areas indicated by phantom lines 48. The portion of the shoe formed by the joined wing extensions 35 and 36 is indicated by reference numeral 34 and will be referred to hereinafter as the expansible front body member or tongue. The portion of each wing lying outwardly of the line 48 is folded back and glued to the inner surface of the wing so that a relatively smooth inturned flange is formed along the seam 49 (FIG. 2).

After the seam 49 has been formed, the arcuate forward edges St} of the wings 24 and 25 are brought into contact with the forward end of the wear sole 26, and the wings, the sole, and the central portion 23 of the blank are secured together by stitching that enters the sole and the central portion 23 along phantom line 52. and enters the wings along lines 53. The shoe is then turned inside out so that the wear sole 216 and the finished surfaces of the wings are on the outside of the shoe.

A lace or drawstring 56 (FIGS. 2 and 3) is threaded through the lower pair 42 of eyelets in the rear portion 39 of the sole, and a knot 57 is tied tolock the lace in place. The two end portions 56a and 56b of the lace are brought forwardly, and passed through both holes 37 and 38 that are formed in the sole extensions, the lace portion 56a being threaded through eyelet 37 first and then through eyelet 38, while lace portion 56b is threaded first through eyelet 38 and then through eyelet 37. The two lace portions 56:: and b are then joined by a knot, and a bow is tied over the knot.

It will be evident from PEG. 3 that, when the lower pair 42 of the holes is used as a rear anchor for the lace 56, the bendable rear portion 39 of the sole extends a considerable distance upwardly along the rear of the infants foot, and the portion of the wear sole underlying the wearers foot is relatively short compared to the portion that underlies the wearers foot when the upper pair 43 of holes is used, as shown in phantom lines.

Accordingly, it will be recognized that the lace 56 secures the shoe on the wearers foot, and that the lace and the two pair of eyelets provide means whereby the effective length of the Wear sole may be varied. In general, the lace 56 draws the yieldable rear portion 39 of the sole upwardly against the rear of the foot, thereby causing the rear portion 39 to bend at a pivot point close to the heel of the wearer, thus automatically selecting the proper length of sole for the wearers foot.

At the forward portion of the shoe in FIG. 3, the adjustable front body member 34 is shown in phantom lines. It is evident that this member 34, due to its bendable connection to the lower portions of the vamp, provides means for expanding the forward portion of the shoe to accommodate growth of the foot in this area. Since the yieldable rear portion of the sole permits a lengthening of the sole, and the yieldable front member 34 accommodates foot growth in this area, it is clear that the present invention provides a truly expansible infants shoe. Again, the lace 56 draws the yieldable member 34 downwardly toward the arch of the foot, the member 34 being arranged a to pivot at the upper end of the vamp and automatically assume the position dictated by the size of the instep.

in FIGS. and 6, a second embodiment iii of the shoe of the present invention is illustrated. The shoe 60 is identical to the previously described shoe 56 of FIG. 2 except that in shoe so, each of twopxtensions 62 and 63 of wings 64- and as are provided with two eyelets 67. Accordingly, when the shoe 6% has been formed, a lower and an upper pair '72 and 73, respectively, will be provided on the wing extensions. The lace 7.? may be threaded through either of the front pairs of eyelets '72 or 7'3, and through either of the rear pairs of eyelets 75 and 76 and, when the lace is tightened, the rear portion of the flexible sole will be swung up against the wearers heel and the front member 34 will be swung down against the instep.

It is, of course, evident that any lace, that is disposed around the front of a persons foot, will tend to assume a. position in the area where the vertical front portion of the leg meets the arch of the foot. Since this area is the most comfortable and eifective location for the lace, the present invention provides means, in the form of the two pairs of eyelets '72 and 73, by which the lace may be anchored adjacent this area for any enlarged position of the shoe. Referring again to FIG. 3 and assuming that the two sets of eyelets were provided in the expansible body member 34, it will be noted that the upper pair of eyelets 73 would be adjacent substantially the same part of the foot in the full position as the lower pair 72 is adjacent when the member 34 is swung to the expanded position. Thus the provision of more than one pair of eyelets in the expansible front body portion makes possible the selection of a comfortable and effective anchoring spot for the lace.

In FIGURES 7 and 8 another embodiment of the shoe of the present invention, and a blank 81 from which the shoe is made is illustrated. The shoe St) is identical to the shoe 50 of FIG. 1 except that wing portions 32 and 83 of the shoe 8% have no extensions that correspond to the wing extensions and 36 of shoe 5t Anchoring means for the forward ends of a lace 91 is provided by three side-by-side apertures 84, 85 and 86 cut in the wing 82 and by apertures 87, 88 and 89 that are cut in wing 83. When the shoe $9 has been assembled, the lace 91 is threaded through and locked in a lower pair 89 of two pair 89 and 9d of eyelets disposed in the sole end portion 5"2 of the sole 93. The lace portions 95 and 96 are brought forwardly, and portion 95 is consecutively threaded into hole 86, out of hole 85, into hole 34 and finally upwardly out of hole 87. Lace portion 96 is threaded into hole 89, up and out of hole 88, down into hole 87, and finally up and out of hole 84. The two upwardly projecting lace portions 95 and 96 are tied together by a knot and a bow is tied over the knot. It will be evident that the length of the sole 93 can be automatically adjusted to the correct length for the wearers foot by means of the lace 87. Further, the two sets 89 and W of eyelets in the sole 93 provide means into which the lace may be locked for accommodating an extension or contraction of the sole end portion 92.

If desired, the portion of each wing of the shoe between the welt 32 (FIG. 3) and the sole may be made somewhat full so that it collapses and moves a short distance from the side of a small foot when the lace is tightened and will assume a generally upright position when a large foot is inserted in the shoe.

From the foregoing descriptions of the three embodiments of the invention, it will be apparent that the present invention provides a new type of shoe or sandal, and a. new means for automatically enlarging the shoe, both at the front and at the rear, to accommodate the growing feet of infants. Further, the manner in which the lace is threaded through the eyelets of the shoe and contacts the leather surfaces of the shoe in non-slipping engagement provides a new effective means for securing a shoe on the wearers foot.

It is to be understood that modifications and variations of the embodiments of the invention disclosed herein may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of the invention and the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

i1. A shoe comprising a sole having a forward and a rear portion, an upper secured to the forward portion of said sole and adapted to enclose a portion of the instep of the foot of the wearer, and having an upper terminal edge extending transversely of said sole, a member projecting upwardly from the rear portion of said sole and adapted to lie against the rear of the heel of the foot, a tongue projecting upwardly and rearwardly from said upper, means pivotally securing said tongue to said upper along said transverse terminal edge, the pivotal connection of said tongue to said upper mounting said tongue for movement at times toward said sole and at other times away from said sole to adjust the size of said upper, and a drawstring connected between said tongue and said heel-engaging member for drawing said tongue down against the instep of the foot.

2. A shoe comprising a sole having a forward section and a rear section, said rear section being flexible and having a first portion adapted to underlie the heel of the foot of the wearer, and a second portion projecting rearwardly from said underlying portion and adapted to be flexed upwardly against the rear of the heel, an upper secured to the forward section of said sole and having flexible side Walls and a flexible tongue adapted to overlie the instep of the foot, anchoring means in said tongue, and a drawstring secured in said second sole portion and disposed around the foot and connected to the anchoring means, tightening of said drawstring around the foot being effective to flex said tongue against the instep of the foot, and the flexing action of said tongue and said side walls being effective to adjust the size of said upper to conform to the size of the fore part of the foot.

3. A shoe comprising a sole having a forward and a rearward section, said rearward section being flexible and having a first portion adapted to underlie the wearers heel and a second portion projecting rearwardly from said underlying portion, an upper disposed above said sole and having a forward portion secured to the forward portion of said sole and a rear portion flexibly connected to the forward portion of said upper and projecting rearwardly therefrom to overlie the instep of the wearer, and a drawstring connected between the rear portion of said upper and said second portion of said sole and effective when tightened to swing the rear portion of said upper downwardly against the instep of the foot and to swing said second portion of said sole upwardly against the heel of the wearer causing said flexible sole to pivot around the heel and automatically adapt the length of the sole to the length of the foot.

4. A shoe comprising a sole having a forward and a rear portion, an upper secured to the forward portion of said sole and adapted to enclose a portion of the instep of the wearer, a tongue pivotally connected to said upper and projecting upwardly and rearwardly therefrom to overlie the instep of the foot, a member projecting upwardly from the rear portion of said sole and adapted to lie against the rear of the heel of the foot, a pair of string-anchoring means on said tongue spaced longitudinally thereof to provide an upper and a lower anchoring means, a drawstring secured to said heel-engaging member and having forwardly extending segments adapted to be selectively secured at times in said upper anchoring means and at other times in said lower anchoring means, each of said anchoring means being effective to dispose the drawstring at a convenient angle around the foot.

5. A shoe comprising a sole having a forward section and a flexible rear section including a first portion underlying the heel of the foot of the wearer and a second portion projecting rearwardly from said underlying portion, means providing an upper and a lower pair of eyelets in said second portion of said sole, a vamp secured to the forward section of said sole and adapted to overlie part of the instep of the foot, means defining eyelets in said vamp, and a drawstring disposed in the eyelets of said vamp and adapted to be selectively threaded at times through the upper pair of eyelets in said second portion of said sole and at other times through the lower pair of the eyelets in said second portion of said sole whereby when said drawstring is disposed in the lower pair of eyelets and is tightened around the foot, the sole will be shorter than when the drawstring is disposed in said upper pair of eyelets and tightened.

6. A shoe comprising a sole having a forward and a rear portion, an upper secured to the forward portion of said sole and adapted to enclose a portion of the instep of the foot of the wearer, a member projecting upwardly from the rear portion of said sole and adapted to engage the rear of the heel of the wearer, means defining a pair of laterally spaced holes in said upper, one being disposed on the left side and the other being disposed on the right side of said upper, a drawstring secured to said heel member and having two forwardly projecting segments, one string segment being disposed above the left side of the sole and the other segment being disposed above the right side of said sole, the segment on the left side being threaded downwardly through the hole on the left side of the upper and upwardly through the hole on the right side, the segment on the right side being threaded downwardly through the hole on the right side and upwardly through the hole on the left side, and said upwardly directed segments being tied together at a point between said holes.

7. A shoe comprising a sole having a forward section and a flexible rear section, said rear section being of a length to project rearwardly from the heel of the foot of the wearer, a vamp connected to the forward section of the sole, a tongue flexibly connected to said vamp, means providing an upper and lower pair of openings in said tongue and in said flexible rear sole section, and a draw string adapted to be selectively threaded at times through the upper pair of openings in said tongue and at other times through the lower pair of openings in said tongue and at times through the upper pair of openings in said 45 2,926,

flexible rear sole portion and at other times through the lower pair of openings in said flexible rear sole section, whereby when said drawstring is threaded through selected openings in said tongue and in said sole section and tightened around the foot, said tongue will be flexed downwardly to engage the instep of the foot and said rear sole section will be flexed upwardly around the heel of the foot to conform the length of the sole to the length of the foot.

8. A shoe comprising a sole having a forward section and a rear section, said rear section being flexible and having a first portion adapted to underlie the heel of the wearer and a second portion projecting rearwardly from said underlying portion, a vamp connected to the forward section of said sole, means defining a plurality of holes in said vamp disposed in a line extending from the left side of the vamp to the right, there being an equal number of holes on each side of the longitudinal centerline of said vamp, a drawstring secured in said second portion of said sole and having two segments of the drawstring extending forwardly, one string segment being disposed above each side edge of said sole, the string segment on the right side of the shoe being threaded through certain of said plurality of holes starting at the right side of the vamp and emerging upwardly from the hole on the left side of said vamp closest to the longitudinal centerline of the vamp, the string segment on the left side of the vamp being threaded through certain of said holes starting at the left side of the vamp and emerging upwardly from the hole on the right side of the vamp closest to the longitudinal centerline of the vamp, said two emerging string segments being tied together above said centerline.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,291,958 Lund Jan. 21, 1919 2,391,720 Ludwig Dec. 25, 1945 2,513,005 Crawford June 27, 1950 2,745,196 Schneider et al. May 15, 1956 2,756,518 Raney July 31, 1956 2,803,894 Morgan Aug. 27, 1957 2,846,784 Bush Aug. 12, 1958 Morgan Mar. 1, 1960 

